


We Were Born To Be Together

by Lilsciencequeen



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Crack, F/M, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, rom com
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-11-09 21:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11113320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilsciencequeen/pseuds/Lilsciencequeen
Summary: When Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons both find themselves in the same bar after their friends drag them out, they soon find they have a lot in common and find themselves falling for each other until something from Jemma's past comes crashing back into her life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stjarna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/gifts).



> For stjarna, because I can't fund that rom com, so I'll write it instead.

“Jemma,” came Daisy’s voice, soft and reassuring. “You’re gonna have to move some day. Come out with me tonight. Have some fun. He doesn’t deserve your tears.”

Jemma looked up at her friend from the pile of pillow and blankets that she was currently nestled in, and set her spoon back down on the dresser, drops of chocolate ice cream staining the white paint. She frowned at it for a moment, then sighed, clearly not considering wiping it up to be of the upmost importance right now.

“C’mon,” Daisy all but begged, entering Jemma’s room and sitting on the bed. She put the lid back on the ice cream and setting it to the side. “You’ve been in here all week. At least let me take you out to dinner. Change of scene and you can clear you head.” She smiled down at her friend.

Eventually, Jemma sighed, knowing she had lost this battle. It had been a week since Milton had broken up with her, and if Jemma was going to be honest, there were a million and one nicer ways that he could have done it. “Okay,” she said, knowing that there was no point in arguing with Daisy.

The other woman smiled, looking at Jemma. “Great, say about six. We can go out for pizza if you want….”

Jemma nodded. Pizza was nice. And if they went to the Italian on Main Street, then maybe, just maybe she could replace all the memories that she already had of that place, the memories that held Milton. “That sounds amazing, thank you.” She offered Daisy a smile, trying to keep the enthusiasm in her voice, but she knew it wasn’t working, she knew Daisy could see right through her.

“You’ll be okay, you know that?” Daisy reached over and took one of Jemma’s hands in her own and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze. “You’re one of the strongest people I know, and trust me when I say it, him and his stupid cabbage head aren’t worth your tears.”

“It’s more of a Brussel sprout really,” Jemma offered.

Daisy bumped her with her shoulder. “Now you go and get washed. I’m pretty sure we won’t get in if you’re still smelling pf pyjamas and ice cream.” She rose and made her way across the room, smiling at Jemma one more time.

Jemma returned it. And when Daisy was just about to leave, Jemma called out to her. “Daisy! Wait!”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve done the same for me. Don’t worry about it.”

***

Fitz sighed, refusing to look up.

“You still have a couple of weeks mate.”

“I suppose,” the engineer replied, swirling the spoon in his tea round and round. “I should never have put down for a plus one to begin with. If I can’t find anyone, I can pay you back…”

“No,” Hunter shook his head. “No, you don’t have to.”

Fitz sighed, his shoulders slumping. It had been a number of weeks since he had broken up with his then girlfriend Ophelia. She had been cheating on him. So he had ended things, and hadn’t heard from her since (not that he wanted to). He had also decided then to give up on the dating scene, he had always been so unlucky in love and after Ophelia, the person who he really thought had been the one, he saw no point in continuing to date anymore. He couldn’t face that crushing heartbreak, not again.

“Why don’t we go out tonight?” Hunter asked. “I can get Mack, Trip to come with us. Make it a lad’s night. You’ve not been out since… you’ve not been out in weeks. It’s not healthy staying cooped up in here.”

Fitz still didn’t look up, continuing to stir his mug of tea that had more than likely gone cold by now.

“At least for a couple of drinks, a couple of beers. It’ll do you good, getting out of the apartment for a while.”

Finally, Fitz looked up, facing Hunter for the time, he could see the worry laced in his face, the concern. And Fitz knew he didn’t probably didn’t look that good also. Then he nodded, knowing that it was for the best.

It wold stop his friends worrying.

And what harm could a number of drinks at the bar with friends do?

***

They had went to the bar after going out for pizza, Daisy not taking as much drinks as she normally would, slowing down more and turning to non-alcoholic when Jemma had ordered her third cocktail of the night.

“Daisy!” she shouted over the music, her voice slurred, the strobe lighting of the room catching on the beaded neckline of her top, scattering rainbows everywhere. “This was such a good idea!”

Daisy smiled at her friend, glad that Jemma was enjoying herself. This was the first time she had seen a genuine smile from her friend for the first time since Milton had broken her heart. “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”

“We should do this more often,” Jemma commented, finishing her drink. “We don’t do this a lot. Girls night. Just the two of us.”

Daisy shrugged. “Maybe ‘cause you’re working all the time. Means we can never go out. Most we can manage is film nights.”

“True,” Jemma commented. She frowned, her forehead scrunching up in confusion when Daisy slid from the booth they were occupying. “Where you going?”

Daisy looked at the empty glasses on the table. Jemma followed her gaze and her eyes widened in understanding. “Ahh.”

“Yeah,” Daisy agreed, nodding slowly. “I was going to get us some water.”

Jemma looked at her friend, and smiled. It was an agreement they had reached a number of years ago, when they were both in college that after so many drinks, they would have water, in an attempt to sober them up and reduce headaches the next day. It didn’t always work but still…

Daisy smiled at her, and pushed her way across the room, towards the bar and it took her only minutes to return, carrying two large glasses of water. Somehow, she had made it back to their table, not spilling a drop and slid one across the table to Jemma.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a sip.

Daisy shrugged, knowing it would help Jemma. She wasn’t drunk; not yet anyway. She was only slightly tipsy, her words slurred. It would take another number of drinks until fully drunk Jemma made an appearance (something Daisy knew was a possibility of that, she was just hoping it wouldn’t happen).

“Thank you, Daisy, for everything. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

***

The bar was busy, Friday night bringing people out. Fitz sat at the edge, ripping up the soggy carboard of the coaster and making a pile. He was only on his first pint, had almost finished it, but he was already regretting going out for the night.

“You okay?” Mack asked from across the table.

Fitz looked up and it took him one moment too long to answer. “What, oh yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Mack shrugged. “You’ve just seem really disinterested in everything.”

Fitz reached for his glass, and downed the rest of it in one go. “I’ll be back,” he stuttered quickly, and slid from the booth, making his way to the bar.

And as he did so, someone pushed against him, causing him to bump into someone standing there. “Sorry,” he apologised spinning around and facing her.

She smiled at him. “It’s okay.”

He found himself smiling back, despite himself. She pushed her a loose strand of hair behind her ear and there was a twinkle in her eyes, which where a soft whiskey colour.

“Can I?” he began, not really sure where he was going with this. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I would love that.”

Together, they pushed towards the bar, and they both ordered drinks, and she had only received hers when they DJ called everyone onto the dancefloor. He shifted uncomfortably in his skin and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “You don’t dance?” she asked.

He shook his head, rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand. “I can’t… I don’t know how to dance.”

She set her drink back on the bar and held out on hand. “Well it’s a good job I can. I can teach you.”

Without even thinking about it, he took her hand, allowing her to drag him to the dance floor.

“I don’t even know your name,” she shouted over the music, loud and thumping, some song he didn’t know.

He spun her round. “Fitz. Leo Fitz.”

“Well Leo Fitz,” she replied, smiling at him as he spun her again. “I’m Jemma. Jemma Simmons.”


	2. Chapter 2

The early summer sun breaking through her curtains awoke her, and it didn’t help the pounding headache that she was currently suffering from. She groaned, fighting a sudden wave of illness that overtook her and pulled her duvet over her head.

She was hungover, something that always came easily to her. Not that she was drunk the night before, she had been slightly tipsy however but she had a clear memory of the night before. Of going to the bar, of meeting Fitz, with his blue eyes that had a twinkle about them and a smile that seemed so genuine that she couldn’t help but smile even thinking about it. They had danced, the two of them, loosing themselves in the music, and it had helped her to forget the reason that she had even went to the bar in the first place.

Eventually, Daisy had come and found her, and said that she was heading home, that she had work the next day and couldn’t stay out too late. She had also let Jemma know she could stay out if she wanted but Jemma had shaken her head, opting to go home. She already wasn’t feeling the best, and she had apologised to Fitz for not staying out. He had just smiled and told her that it was okay, that he had friends here that were probably wondering where he had wandered off to. But she had gotten his number before leaving, promising to text him as soon as she could.

But was it too early the next morning? No, it couldn’t be. She reached over, attempting to find her phone on the bedside table when her hand met something else; cold glass. She frowned, then peeked from under the fort she had made herself. It was a glass of water and a small smile crossed her face. It had been left by Daisy, and she reached for the sticky note that was there.

_thought you might want this ill be home at 5 see you soon Daisy xx_

She felt a rush of love, at how much Daisy looked out for her. Sometimes she wondered what she did to deserve the woman. Placing the note back on the table, she grabbed her phone and unlocked it, opening her new messaging app. There was only one new one, from Daisy, making sure she was okay. After replying quickly, she opened Fitz’s number. There were no messages from him and her fingers hung over the screen, twitching nervously. She had no idea what to say, she didn’t want to sound desperate. After typing and erasing five different messages, she finally settled on something.

> _Hi_   _Fitz. It was amazing to meet you last night. I was just wondering, if you wanted to, the next time we’re both free, do you want to meet up one time? Get to know each other better. Jemma._

Closing the messaging app, she opened up her Facebook feed, scrolling through the endless clickbait articles and memes that her friends shared, trying not to roll her eyes at the more cringe worthy of them. Sighing, she closed that down, opening up her messages again, wanting to see if there was anything yet but nothing. Fitz had actually read the message, fifteen minutes ago now, but hadn’t replied and her stomach twisted, and there was a dejected fluttering in it. But it was obvious that he wasn’t interested in her.

Closing her eyes, she tried to compose herself. It was obvious that he wasn’t interested in her. She shouldn’t have even gotten her hopes up. He wasn’t interested. He was just one guy who had had a dance with her on a night out, it didn’t mean anything. It _shouldn’t_ have meant anything.

She closed the app again, trying not to feel disheartened and decided to answer her emails. There were a few from the university that she taught at, general emails that were sent out to all members of the faculty. There were also a number from students who would be taking lectures with her, wanting to know the recommend reading. She rolled her eyes, smiling to herself because not so long ago, she was in their position.

She had just finished replying to them all when a message came through. One from Fitz.

> _Sorry was in the shower. Yeah, that sounds amazing. What about breakfast this morning?_
> 
> _That sounds perfect._

***

It was an hour later, headache almost all but gone (despite her inability to hold her drink, her hangovers never lasted long, something that Jemma was thankful for), that Jemma found herself at a café, Fitz ordering breakfast. He had said it was his treat, considering she never got her drink last night.

“That’s perfect, thank you,” she said, a smile on her face as he set the tray down on the table. She reached for the pot of tea, pouring herself a cup. She raised an eyebrow and he nodded, and she poured him one too. “Sorry,” she said, setting the pot back down and reaching for the milk. “I have no idea how you make your tea.”

He shook his head and ripped open one of the packs of sugar tipping it into the cup. “It’s only the second time you’ve met me, you don’t need to apologise.”

“Well, I suppose you want to know about me.”

Fitz smiled at her. It was much better now, now that she could see him in the light, it was a soft smile, one that reached his eyes and radiated so much joy, so much love. “If you don’t mind.”

“Well,” Jemma began, buttering her croissant. “I grew up in Sheffield, spent most of my life there actually. I only moved here when I was twenty-one. I was offered a job, lecturing at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.”

“Wait,” he interrupted, staring at her in awe and wonder. “You work there? At the Academy?”

She nodded, swallowing. “I do.”

“I was… I start there, next semester. I’m the new engineering lecturer.”

Her smile grew stupidly big. “That’s you? I heard rumours that there was someone new starting. I had no idea it was you.”

He reached up and rubbed nervously back at his neck. “Yeah.. I just… I don’t like to brag.”

She shook her head. “It’s not bragging. But I have to ask, is it true, you had your doctorate by nineteen?” It was a stupid question, she knew he had one. She _knew_ who he was, but she was scared to mention she knew who he was, but she didn’t want to seem like a stalker.

He nodded. “Yeah, mechanical engineering, I couldn’t have done it without my mum. She may not have known what I was talking about half the time but she was there for me.”

“It was the same with my dad. I was a curious child, always exploring always catching the insects and when I attempted to dissect a dead pigeon I found in the garden…” She trailed of, lost in the memory. She shook her head, giving a light laugh. “He signed me up for science classes that day…”

“You science?” he asked through a mouth full of food. He swallowed hard, and reached for his mug of tea.

“Biochemistry. Two… two doctorates. First by sixteen.”

Fitz’s eyes widened in shock. “Jemma Simmons… As in that Jemma Simmons.”

She gave a weak smile. “The one and only.”

He shook his head in shock. “I’ve read all your stuff… it’s amazing.”

She felt a blush creep across her cheeks. She dipped her head, scared to meet his gaze. “And I’ve read yours. It’s… it’s amazing Fitz. And to be here with you…” She raised her head again, meeting his eyes. “I’ve wanted to work with you for so long.”

He laughed. “So you knew about the doctorate.”

She gave a small nod, and tried to hide her embarrassment. “I did.”

He flashed that smile at her again and this time, she felt a fluttering in her stomach, something that hadn’t occurred to this intensity the last few times that he had smiled at her. “Well, maybe, Jemma Simmons, that can happen one day.”

***

He had walked her back to her apartment block, bidding her farewell at the door and headed off back down the street. It was when she was waiting on the elevator that she turned and headed back out the building. She could still see his retreating figure, hands in pockets, and all she needed to do to get his attention was call his name once.

He turned upon hearing it, and headed back up the street. She met him halfway. “I don’t… I don’t have any plans this afternoon. And I was just wondering… do you want to spend the rest of the day with me?”

She could feel herself shift uncomfortable, the nerves overtaking her, making her feel ill, but there was no need for Fitz extended his hand towards her. “I would love that.”


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next number of weeks, the two young scientist started to spend more and more time together, going out for dinner once a week, Jemma spending nights at Fitz’s apartment whenever she had the chance, and they saw each other every week day for lunch; the two of them going to the café that was in the Academy, though sometimes visiting new ones to broaden their horizons.

Daisy had been happy, glad that Jemma had found someone who loved her, and cared for her, treated her the way that she deserved, though she had told Fitz one night, whilst Jemma was in the bathroom, getting ready for their dinner, that if he ever broke her heart or treated her wrong, he would come to regret it. The engineer had nodded, saying that he loved her, cared for her and that he would never, ever hurt her. Jemma had appeared moments later, sliding on a red jacket, oblivious to what had just happened. She had smiled, asking if everything was alright, and the two of them had nodded, saying that everything was alright. Jemma’s lips, a ruby red, had flicked up even more, and she had stepped past Daisy, to Fitz giving him a peck on the cheek and he wrapped his arm around her waist. After a quick conversation of Daisy saying that she would probably be asleep when she got home, and Jemma telling her that it was okay, the couple were away.

“So?” Daisy said now, clutching a massive bowl of popcorn and jumping down onto the sofa beside Jemma. They were having a girl’s night in, enjoying whatever crappy rom-com they could find. “You and Fitz.” She reached into the bowl and grabbed a handful of popcorn, stuffing it in her mouth.

“What about us?” Jemma asked, slightly confused as to where Daisy was going. She leaned forward, lifting her wine glass and taking a sip.

Daisy swallowed hard. “You two seem to really care about each other. You seem happier than you’ve ever been, happier than you ever were with Will, with Milton.” A soft smile crossed her face, the edges of her lips curving up.

Jemma nodded. It was true, being with Fitz, she was happier than she had ever been before. He was so very kind to her, he treated her with respect. She loved spending time with him, and she loved him. “I love him Daisy,” she whispered, feeling a blush creep across her face, burning the back of her ears.

Daisy nudged her friend with her shoulder. “I’m happy for you Jemma, I really am. You know that right. Now,” she reached for the remote and pointed it at the screen. “Let’s see what god-awful film we can find tonight.”

***

Hunter had gone round to his apartment that night once he got the phone call from Fitz. His tone had been anxious and he was stuttering slightly. For some reason, Hunter had been terrified, and had kissed his fiancée, Bobbi, on the cheek, before rushing out of his house and driving round to Fitz’s, only stopping to pick up a six pack of beer.

Pulling haphazardly into a parking space in the car park, Hunter had grabbed the beer, nearly forgetting to lock the car and rushed into the apartment block. The elevator was out of service again, so he ran up the stairs, taking two at a time until he reached the floor that Fitz lived on. He pushed open the stairway door, and headed down the corridor, until he reached his friend’s door, knocking frantically a number of times.

Fitz opened the door, a lopsided smile on his face. 

Hunter stared at him in exasperation. “Is everything okay?”

Fitz’s smiled faded. “What do you mean is everything okay?”

“You sounded nervous on the phone.”

“Ahhh,” Fitz replied, now understanding what his friend was saying. He stood out of the doorframe, allowing Hunter to come in. “That. It was about the wedding. Nothing serious.”

Hunter lead out a breath, setting the six-pack on the island in the middle of the apartment, pulling one of the beers out. He had told Bobbi that something was wrong, and it was likely he was going to have to stay overnight but now it seemed that nothing was wrong.

Except for some worries about the wedding.

“Do you want to order pizza?” Fitz asked, his tone slightly nervous and guilty that he had worried his friend for no reason.

Hunter nodded, crashing onto the couch. “Sounds like a plan, now, what has Fitzy so worried?”

Having locked the door, Fitz joined Hunter on the couch, cradling his own bottle of beer. After removing the top, he took one sip, but that was it. Instead he seemed more focused on using his thumbnail to scratch off the label. “I want to ask Jemma to the wedding.”

Hunter nearly chocked on his drink, swallowing hard. The wedding was in two and a half weeks, and Fitz still hadn’t said anything about what he was doing about his plus one. He knew that Fitz had fallen for Jemma in the weeks that he had known her, spending all the free time that he could with her, and Jemma was now spending more and more nights with him. He knew that he loved her, cared for her. He knew just how happy Jemma made him (despite never having formally met her, having only met her in the passing) and that’s all he cared about, that one of his closest friends was happy. “Do you think you will?”

Fitz shrugged, still working on getting the label of his bottle, and gave a quick nod of his head. “Yeah, but…”

“But you’re worried,” Hunter said after another taste of his beer, knowing where Fitz was going with this. Ever since his relationship with Ophelia had ended, he had lost his confidence when it came to asking questions, though he had got some back due to Jemma. “That she’s gonna say no?”

Fitz nodded, then looked up. “Yeah, yeah.”

“What about saying the offer is out there? That it doesn’t matter If she can’t come or not… that you just thought that she would enjoy it. And she’s meet Bobbi that one time, hasn’t she…”

Fitz nodded. “Yeah she has, they seemed to get on. But it was a quick meeting.” He shrugged. “What happens if they don’t get on? What happens if she hates it and is just…” He continued on and on and on, sprouting all his fears and all his worries.

“Fitz,” Hunter cut in, interrupting his friend. “Mate, it’ll be fine. Just ask her. Plenty of people are bringing a plus one that only know the person they’re going with. And anyway, she’s gonna be getting a free dinner, and no one ever complains when they get free food.”

Fitz shook his head, unable to believe his friend. “Is food the only thing you think about?”

A shrug from Hunter as he took another drink. “You’re one to talk. Now that’s all sorted, how’s about we order that pizza in and start planning this stag do we’ve still not yet planned.”

***

At the end of the week, they went out for lunch again, the past number of days they hadn’t been able to, their timetables not lining up as Jemma was helping to tutor some pupils who had already fallen behind with their work. Thursday afternoons, when they both stayed late to grade work, were no longer available to them also, Fitz helping the local high school, taking a physics after school class, helping those who were interested in the subject decide if it really were the thing they wanted to do once they graduated.

But that Friday, everything lined up for them, and it was Fitz’s turn to buy the food, taking small footsteps across the room, barely lifting his feet as he shuffled over toward her, pushing past the students that had congregated in the small café.

Eventually, he made it over, setting the tray down. She smiled at her, reaching for her sandwich. “Thank you,” she said, as he sat down, reaching for his own.

“S’nothing,” he said through a mouth full of food, some pesto dropping from his sandwich onto his chin.

Rolling her eyes, she reached for a napkin and reached across the table, wiping at it until it was gone.

He smiled at her, swallowing. “Thanks. And don’t worry about lunch, it was my turn to buy anyway.”

“I’ve not been to this one before,” she explained after having a bite of her own lunch. “It’s a bit busier than where we normally ago.”

A look of guilt flashed across his face. “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “No! No, it’s no big deal.”

He bopped his head, showing that he knew what she meant. “They’ve some of the best sandwiches in town.” Once he realised what he had said, he quickly added another statement; “But not as good as yours. There’s no sandwiches that I love as much as yours.”

She shook her head again, laughing this time. “Is food the only thing you think about?”

He gave a quick shrug of one shoulder. “Food and you?”

“Always a romantic.”

The young couple spent the rest of their lunch break just making light conversation, talking about their plans for the weekend (with Jemma staying both the Friday and Saturday night this week, and the two of them had discussed going bowling on the Saturday afternoon as something different to do that weekend) but Fitz still never brought up the wedding, though it was lurking in the back of his mind and the closer that they got to finishing their lunch break, the worse he felt; the fear, the nerves twisting his stomach. He knew that he would have to tell her sooner rather than later because if she did agree to go, there was so much that she would need to do, she would need to find an outfit, something that Hunter always said Bobbi took too long doing (Bobbi disagreed, saying that for their engagement dinner, Hunter took much much longer to find an outfit than she did, and that’s why it had taken them so long to get to the restaurant that night).

And he knew Jemma liked to be prepared, that she excelled at it in fact. It would be unfair on her to make her wait, to leave it until the last possible minute. So he had to do it. And soon.

It was once that Jemma was about to stand up to leave that he whispered her name, a soft murmur that was barely audible above the commotion of students getting ready to leave, possibly to attend their lecture.

From her position, half off her chair and half crouched in the air. “Fitz? Is everything okay?” There was worry laced in her tone and he nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. ‘Course it is. I just need to ask you something.”

She slid back into her seat, and reached across the table, taking one of her hands in his own. He gave it a reassuring squeeze before running his thumb back and forth over the back of it. “You know how Bobbi and Hunter are getting married in two weeks?” A nod from her prompted him to continue. “I put down for a plus one. It was months ago now… before…”

“Before you and Ophelia split?” she asked, knowing that he preferred not to think or talk about her. After all she had done to him, it was for the best. And now he was happier than he had ever been, she didn’t even deserve a second thought, something that Jemma had completely understood. It had been weeks since she had thought about Milton (and now she was thankful for him actually breaking her heart, because if he hadn’t, he would never had met Fitz) and it had been nearly two years since her and Will had ended their relationship, something that wasn’t going to work out; she was ready for commitment, something more serious, and he wasn’t.

But that was all in the past, that no longer mattered. She had moved on, she was happier, and to her, that’s all that mattered.

Fitz nodded. “Yeah, yeah, and I was just wondering, if you wanted to, please don’t feel pressured or obligated to come, it really doesn’t matter if you don’t…” He paused, allowing himself a moment to compose himself. “Would you like to come to the wedding with me? As my plus one?”

The edges of her lips curved up slowly at first, then a massive grin was on her face. “I would love that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Wedding Drama!


	4. Chapter 4

Fitz picked her up the Thursday afternoon. The wedding itself wasn’t until the Saturday but the two scientists had decided to spend the whole weekend together, a romantic weekend away. The trip to the hotel itself didn’t take long, it was only a two-hour drive but by the time that they arrived, they were both tired and had went straight to the room, collapsing on bed, and ordered a large pizza between the two of them, careful not to drop any of the tomato sauce on to the pristine sheets.

Once they had finished dinner, Jemma curled up next to Fitz. “I need this,” she whispered. “Time away from work…” She trailed off, not needing to continue. Fitz knew that work had been stressful for her the past number of weeks; Jemma working overtime to ensure that she met all her deadlines. She had taken on so much in recent weeks that Fitz was almost worried about her, that she would be working herself to exhaustion. And now, it seemed to be the case.

“Roll over,” he told her, giving a quick nod of the head even though she couldn’t see him.

She opened her eyes, and looked up at him, slightly confused at what he was asking and in response, he just smiled back. “Roll over, I’m gonna give you a massage.”

Jemma’s eyes widened at the prospect of this, and she sat up, removing her top so all that she was in was her bra and lay back down, but on her stomach this time. Her head was resting on crossed arms and she allowed her eyes to flutter shut again. She let out a hum of content as Fitz’s fingers started to work their magic, massaging her back, loosening the knots that had formed over the weeks. She gave a soft moan of pleasure as his fingers danced over her back, sinking into her skin and soothing it.

“Jems?” Fitz asked at one point, scared that he was hurting her. “You okay?”

She gave a soft hum, and her voice was slightly slurred. “S’perfect.” And she didn’t remember much after that.

***

The next morning when they both awoke, a tangle of limbs in a foreign bed, the autumn sun was beating through the curtains, causing an ethereal glow around Jemma. He was awake moments before her, and watched as she came back into the waking world, her eyes opening slowly, taking everything in. She beamed up at him once she finally came around and he smiled back, placing a delicate kiss on the end of her nose.

“Morning,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she replied. “Sleep well?”

“Perfectly.” He pulled her in closer and she rolled over, resting her head on his chest. He ran his hand up and down her arm as there lay in silence, just staring at the ceiling.

Eventually, Jemma spoke. “Are we going exploring today?”

“Yeah,” Fitz said. The two of them had talked about going to see the local village the Friday, explore all the shops and visit the tea room that got multiple five-star reviews online. “Do you still want to?”

She sat up, and he copied her, pulling up the covers to his chest. “Of course!” She reached behind her, grabbing her planner off the bedside table and flicked through the pages until she found the one that she wanted. “I have it all planned out! If we keep to this schedule, though we do have leeway of about ten minutes for some things, we can make everything and…” She was cut off by Fitz leaning in close to her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her.

She gave an _oomph_ of surprise as his lips danced roughly across hers but moments later, she was sinking into the kiss as well.

Pulling apart, he rested his forehead against hers, brushing a loose stand of her hair behind her ears, the back of his fingers grazing her cheek. “We’ll make everything.”

***

And they did, with time to spare. It was a nice village, small and there was something nostalgic about it, and all the locals were more than friendly, more than glad to help out when the couple had gotten lost more than once.

They had also made it to the tea room for lunch, Fitz nearly having an existential crisis when it came to deciding what he wanted; there were so many cakes to choose from. He had eventually gone for the _Bit of Everything_ , which was just what it said it was on the menu; a tiny slice of everything. He somehow managed to eat it all and finish Jemma’s slice of cake.

They spent the afternoon visiting all the shops that Jemma had wanted, Fitz taking a step back and letting Jemma do what she wanted. She seemed so happy, extremely happy, as she walked around the town, hand in hand with him, their arms swinging.   

Returning back to the hotel, a number of bags each full of gifts for friends and family, Jemma took a shower, getting ready for their meal out. Once she was, she found her boyfriend sitting on the bed, scrolling through Facebook as he waited for her. He looked up when he heard the bathroom door open. A smile rushed across his face as he saw her and he slid the phone into his pocket. “You ready?”

She nodded, and took his outstretched hand once he was standing, and together they made their way down to the restaurant.

“So,” he asked, looking over the top of the overly large menu. “What you thinking of getting?”

Jemma peeked over the top of her own menu, her eyes twinkling under the fairy lights of the restaurant. “Maybe the pasta?”

His eyes flicked back down to the menu, reading the options. “The vegetarian one?”

“Yeah, it just sounds so good.” She closed her menu, setting it back on the table.

“I’ll get it too,” Fitz agreed, copying her actions, but pushing his chair back and grabbing the bottle of wine. All he had to do was lift it, and she nodded.

He walked around to her side of the table, pouring some in her glass. He set it back down once they were both happy that she had enough. He titled his head down to her, not going to lose a chance a kissing her.

Something that Jemma wasn’t complaining about.

***

The wedding the next day went well, Bobbi and Hunter both having got through their vows with no mistakes. And Fitz had nothing to worry about; Jemma, dressed in a simple floral dress, was able to talk with ease to everyone at the wedding, a champagne glass in her hand, her laugh light.

She got on with everyone, making small talk but Fitz never once let her side, his arm wrapped around her waist most of the day. They spent most of the day together, talking to Bobbi and Hunter’s family. Mack and Trip had had an invite, but had never been able to go in the first place so it left Fitz with only a handful of people he knew.

Jemma did seem to get on extremely well with Hunter’s young nieces, who were five and seven. The two girls seemed interested in Jemma, maybe it was the accent, but had insisted on spending all day with her, placing flowers in her hair, something that still remained in her hair during the reception. Hunter’s nieces had to leave after the meal, heartbroken about having to leave Jemma. Tears had streamed down their faces, but Jemma had taken the two of them into her arms, hugging them and told them she would see them again tomorrow.

The room of the hotel for the reception had been done up for it; multiple coloured lights flashing overhead, tables of bite sized food for the guests to enjoy along one side of the room with some tables and chairs for guests to mingle, and the main area of the floor had been cleared for the dance floor.

“You want to?” Fitz asked, as they stood in the room at the edge of the dance floor, other guests pushing past them, either to the seats or to the dance floor itself. The music was already blaring, a dull steady beat that pulsed through the room.

Jemma nodded, allowing him to sweep her into his arms, spinning her round. She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. They always joked that despite the fact they both despised it, dancing was what had brought them together, had lead them to find, and fall in love with each other.

The song changed, a slower one this time, and her head came to rest on his shoulder as he gently swayed them back and forth when a name, _her name_ , echoed out across the room, called by a voice that Jemma never thought she would hear again.

The figure to whom it belonged came running across the room, panting slightly as he came up to them. “Sally… Sally told me you’d be here this weekend. Can we? Can we talk Jemma?”

Jemma pulled out of Fitz’s arms, staring at the figure now standing opposite both of them; Will Daniels.

“Will,” she began, trying to find the words and failing. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to apologise, to say I’m sorry for everything Jemma.” She stared at him, taking in his face. He did look sincere, but there was something about it, it gave of a vibe that made her squirm and caused her gut to twist. She threw an anxious glance at Fitz, the engineer’s ears burning red. Jemma had told Fitz all about Will late one night, when they had lay on the sofa, a glass of wine each, complaining about exs. But she never expected to see him again, the last that she had heard was he had moved the entire was across the country.

“Will, we broke up two years ago. We ended that relationship. It wasn’t working out. I wanted you to move in, and you didn’t. You weren’t ready for that kinda commitment…”

“But I am now.”

The four words that came from him, interrupting her own words, caused her stomach to drop, her face to pale. The music has stopped, or faded away, Jemma couldn’t tell which. Her focus was no longer on it, the only thing she was hearing was her conversation with Will. Fitz had remained silent, but she had grabbed his hand, interweaving her fingers with his and she felt him give a reassuring squeeze, comforting her, letting her know that he was there for her, no matter what happened here.

She didn’t know what would happen here, but it wasn’t right. Everything about this made her so very uncomfortable and she wanted to cry. He should be here, at Bobbi and Hunter’s wedding. He could potentially ruin everything.

“Will,” she spoke again, hating how tiny her voice was but she couldn’t find the courage to make it any stronger. Her breathing was shaking as strobe lighting flashed overhead. She went to speak again, to ask him to leave when he did the unexpected;

He knelt down on one knee, pulling a small box from his pocket and opened it. The thing within it glistened a hundred thousand colours, the jewels in it catching the lights. “Jemma Anne Simmons? Will you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised wedding drama... Hope you enjoyed the ending! The last chapter should be up by the end of next week.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't supposed to be up today, but after being bribed I decided to be nice and post it today. Hope you enjoy!

She blinked at him in confusion. The music really had stopped now, an eerie silence filling the hall and everyone was staring at her, in shock, wondering what had just happened; then the murmurs started, a ripple through the crowd. She dropped Fitz's hand, using her own to wipe away the first tears, tears that destroyed the makeup she spent nearly half an hour on that morning, trails of mascara streaking her cheeks. The back of her neck burnt and she stared down at Will, at the ring twinkling a rainbow in the box, the prospect of a life together.

“I can’t,” she just about managed to whisper, looking at Will’s expectant face, so full of hope that was starting to falter. She shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She ran past him, running from the room and everyone in it. There was a voice calling after her, a voice that she couldn’t place at this moment in time, but she didn’t care, all she wanted, all she _needed_ was to get away from everything and everyone.

Will had just gate-crashed Bobbi and Hunter’s wedding and tried to propose to her. He had asked her to marry him! It had been nearly two years since they broke up, and even before then, they had been drifting apart, Will becoming more and more distant whenever she had asked something of him, even when she had wanted to go out for dinner, he had tended to make up excuses so as not to go out.

And now he had proposed, there and then at the wedding. She couldn’t believe that he had done that, proposed at someone’s wedding! The words, the images, they were swimming through her mind, over and over, making her dizzy. She couldn’t seem to rid herself of them as she made her way to the lift, pressing the button to call it again and again and again.

Once it arrived, she stepped inside, barely waiting for the doors to open and began hitting the button of the floor of her and Fitz’s room, hoping that no one else would use it.

Thankfully, it was empty and she made it to her room, slamming the door shut and collapsing against it, crying now, sobs escaping her, echoing around the room. She didn’t know what to do, things like this never happened to her; her whole life was simple, calculated, and she planned for almost everything so that there were few surprises (Fitz had been a surprise, but unlike this, it was one that she enjoyed). It was Daisy who was more adventurous, who just went with the flow rather than try and plan everything down to the second…

Daisy.

Daisy would know what to do.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, and ignoring the multiple messages that she had received, she dialled her friend’s number, and she picked up on the first ring.

“ _Jemma,”_ came her voice down the end of line, worry laced in it. “ _Fitz told me what happened. Are you okay?_ ”

She shook her head, wiping away her tears and then remembered that Daisy couldn’t see her. “No. It was Will…”

_“I know. If I had known he would try and find you this weekend, that he would try and do something like this… I would have stopped him.”_

“Please don’t… it wasn’t your fault.” She paused, and silence came from Daisy’s end of the phone. “I don’t know what to do.” Her voice was low and soft, a broken whisper that was barely audible.

“ _Do you want to marry Will?”_ She knew that Daisy would answer like that, ask her questions and help her through this. That her best friend would hold her hand as she walked her through it step by step. “ _Do you wanna spend the rest of your life with him?”_

“God no!” And that was the truth. It had been hard breaking up with Will, it had been her first long term relationship but she had moved on. It had taken time but she had moved on, and she was now at the point in her life where she was happy. “But Fitz…” She sighed, trying to compose herself. “What if this has ruined everything?”

“ _Do you love him?_ ”

“Yes,” she replied from the bottom of her hear. And she meant it. She really did. She loved him more than anything, more than she had ever loved anyone before. “I really love him Daisy.”

“ _And he feels the same about you. Talk to him, tell him to that. He’s not going to break up with you ‘cause Will did something like this.”_

There was a knock on the door, a voice, soft and full of concern calling her name. Fitz.

“ _Just talk to him, yeah?”_

“Yeah, thank you. And I’ll see you on Monday?”

“ _Of course. See you then._ ”

And with that, Daisy was gone. Jemma rose, smoothing out her dress, wiped away tears and opened the door. Fitz stood there, the top button of his shirt now undone, his tie loosened. Concern was woven into his face, making his features heavy with worry. “Jemma, are you, are you okay?”

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder as she began crying once again, her body having with the sobs. He wrapped his own arms around her, comforting her and showing her that . He gently stepped forward into the room, closing the door behind them with his foot, just holding her as she cried, letting out all her emotions, her anger at what Will had done.

“I’m sorry,” came her voice as she lifted her head from his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head, wiping away her tears and smiling at her. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

He guided the two of them to the bed, sitting on the end of it. He took her hands in his own. He rubbed the back of one of her hands with his thumbs, he let out a breath. “Jemma, if you want, if you want to marry Will, to spend the rest of your life with him, you can. I’m not going to hold you back.”

“What?” Jemma frowned, shaking her head. What was he talking about? “Will, no, no.” She shook her head again. “I don’t… I don’t want Will.”

He looked at her, even more confused than she was. “What do you mean?”

“Will and I, we ended our relationship ended all those months ago now because it wasn’t working out. He didn’t want… he wasn’t ready for commitment, and we were growing apart. But you… What I feel for you Fitz is nothing I’ve ever felt for anyone before, I love spending time with you. I don’t… I don’t want a life with Will, I don’t want to marry him.”

“You don’t?” Fitz asked, raising one eyebrow as he took in her words, as his brain processed what she had just said.

She rolled her eyes, laughing despite everything. “Ugh Fitz, no. No. I don’t want a life with Will. I don’t want to marry him. I don’t love him.” She stopped, taking a moment to compose herself. She took a breath, a long inhale through the nose then an exhale through the mouth. “It’s you who I love Fitz, it’s you who I wanna spend the rest of my life with. I love you.” Her voice was a soft murmur, barely a breath but he still heard it.

“Yeah?” he asked, wanting to make sure that he hadn’t misinterpreted her, wanting to make sure that he wasn’t pressuring her into doing something that she wanted.

“Yeah,” she replied, her voice still a soft murmur, teasing him, inviting him. “I love you Fitz.”

She dipped her head closer to his, her lips gracing over his. He met her kiss, using his teeth to nip slightly on her bottom lip. She gave a soft low moan of pleasure. Her eyes fluttered shut and her hands came up, burying themselves in his hair, her fingers gripping her curls.

His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer, not wanting to let her go. But eventually, they had to pull apart, to catch their breaths. Their foreheads were still resting against each other. Her lips curved up in a smile.

“I love you too,” he whispered, leaning back in for another kiss.

Jemma didn’t know what the future would hold, what would happen, but she didn’t care. Not anymore. She had her friends by her side, people who loved her, people who cared for her and that’s all she wanted in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that! Thanks so much for all the support; kudos, comments or simply reading. Thanks so much, I really hope that you guys enjoyed this one!

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Bite Down by Bastille vs HAIM. Thanks for checking out, hope you guys enjoyed!


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